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The Santorum Surge is more proof that the battle for the soul of the GOP is up for grabs between the establishment and the more conservative wing of the party. The only way Mitt Romney has been able to beat back conservatives is by spending record amounts of money on negative ads in Florida, and at this point Rick Santorum has won more states than the “eventual nominee.”

At this point in the campaign, considering the amount of attention given over the past year, support should be growing organically for the frontrunner as voters embrace the message offered by the campaign and the persona of the candidate. There is no groundswell for Romney, no appreciation for his message and no sense of who he really is. TIME magazine’s cover last year asked the question of Romney, “Why don’t they like me?” says it all. Right now, Romney should have a solid message and strong momentum, and he has neither. Santorum, Gingrich and Paul are right to stay in the race.

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